Travel Apps for Korea: The Official Tourism List by Job

The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), the government tourism body, keeps an English page of apps and resources for visitors. The page says it was last updated in August 2026. It sorts them by job: trip ideas, transportation, translation, payment, maps, restaurants and delivery, and emergencies. These are KTO's picks, not a ranking, and features can change, so check each app's store page before relying on it.

1. Trip ideas and attractions

• VISITKOREA is KTO's own platform. KTO says it covers culture, immigration process, travel tips, attractions and festivals, with a trip planner, GPS-based services and suggested itineraries. The app is offered in English, Japanese, Chinese (simplified and traditional), German, French, Spanish and Russian.
• Creatrip is a booking platform for restaurants, beauty salons, K-pop concerts, flights, accommodations, rental cars and tours. KTO notes it lets you reserve restaurants and order delivery without verifying a Korean mobile number.
• Odii is a free audio guide. KTO says it uses your location to recognize nearby attractions and offers themed courses such as history, UNESCO World Heritage and museums. Its languages are Korean, English, Japanese and simplified Chinese.

2. Getting around

• Let's Korail website and Korail+ app are the official train ticket platforms of Korea Railroad (KORAIL). KTO says they cover reservations and payment for trains including KTX, SRT and tourist trains, and mentions the Korail Pass for foreigners who plan to ride extensively.
• Seoul Bike (Ttareungi) is the Seoul Metropolitan Government's public bike rental. KTO says you buy a pass first, either a Daily Ticket (1, 2 or 3 hours) or an All Day Pass (24 hours), and unlock the bike by scanning its QR code. You can pay with a personal credit card or the foreigner-only Discover Pass.
• Mobile Tmoney is a transit card app. KTO says you can tap your phone on a terminal to board without opening the app, and that it supports international cards including Mastercard, American Express and UnionPay.
• k.ride is a vehicle service for international visitors, from sedans to vans. KTO says you can see the estimated route and fee before you book, pay with overseas cards or Alipay+, and use an automatic translator in the vehicle.
• GoHanpass lets you sign up with a passport. KTO says you can book and pay for KTX trains, express buses and taxis, and use a wallet at partner stores such as Olive Young, GS25 and Daiso. It also lists nearby pharmacies and hospitals.

3. Translation

• Papago translates text, images, handwriting, webpages and speech between 14 languages including Korean. KTO says that if you scan Korean food names as an image, it retrieves food information from VISITKOREA.

4. Payment

• WOWPASS is a prepaid card app with a transportation card and debit function. KTO says you add and withdraw funds at exchange kiosks or through the app, and can load the transit function at a subway station, a convenience store or in the app.

5. Maps

• Naver Maps is called by KTO the most widely used map among Koreans. It gives routes and travel time for walking, biking, driving and public transport, and shows reviews and business hours from Naver Search. It has a bookmark feature, and the app is available in Korean, English, Japanese and simplified Chinese.

6. Restaurants and food delivery

• Catchtable books seats at restaurants and shows live queue lines and reviews. KTO lists it in Korean and English.
• Shuttle Delivery delivers restaurant food, and also clothes, cosmetics and souvenirs, in Seoul, Pyeongtaek, Daegu and Busan. KTO notes non-restaurant items may take more than a day.

7. Emergencies

• Emergency Ready is a multilingual government app. KTO says it provides disaster alerts and information on civil defense shelters, emergency medical centers, police stations, fire stations, embassies and safety guides, plus basic first aid such as CPR. The app listing on KTO's page shows 22 languages.

KTO's page also gives the 1330 Korea Travel Helpline at +82-2-1330 in Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese, Thai, Malay and Indonesian. KTO's helpline page describes it as a telephone and real-time chat service, with chat through KakaoTalk, Facebook, Line and WhatsApp.

8. How to use this list

Pick one app per job rather than installing everything. A simple setup for a first trip, based on the categories above, is one map, one translation tool, one way to pay for transit, and the emergency app. Install and sign in before you land, because several apps need a phone number, email or passport to register. KTO's list does not say which apps work without a Korean phone number, apart from Creatrip's note on restaurant booking, so check each app's sign-in options in its store listing.

9. Key takeaways

• KTO's page (updated August 2026) groups travel apps by job rather than ranking them.
• Naver Maps and Papago are the map and translation apps KTO names.
• Korail+ and Let's Korail handle train tickets; Mobile Tmoney and WOWPASS handle transit payment.
• The Emergency Ready app is multilingual; the 1330 helpline also takes chat messages.
• Check each app's sign-in and payment options before you travel.